This invention relates to a composition and process for controlling obnoxious odor emanation from various substances.
Air pollution control and specifically odor abatement is a matter of increasing public concern and, accordingly, an effective means of abating or reducing obnoxious odors has become a much sought for goal. A particular problem with odor control or odor abatement is with successful elimination of various odoriferous materials emanating from chemical products, fermentation processes, and especially animal waste or by-products. Animal waste products have long presented a disposal problem and the problem has become more pronounced as the fattening of large numbers of cattle, swine or poultry in commercial feedlots or grow out operations has become a more common and important practice. Likewise, the large quantities of animal excretion produced in such a commercial feedlot provide a potential for a severe atmospheric odor problem, although the same problem exists on a smaller scale on farms in general and even around the home with domesticated animals or pets. Thus, animal waste products have presented a unique and difficult odor abatement problem, and one which has been largely unsolved satisfactorily by the prior art. For example, lime oxidizing agents, such as potassium permanganate, or paraformaldehyde, have been used to abate odor on both a small scale and on a larger scale such as exists in industrial manufacturing and in agriculture with feedlots, poultry production, etc. While most such agents have had some degree of effectiveness, they have generally not been considered to be a complete solution to the problem since the effect of some has been short lasting and not enough to overcome the most severe conditions of odor pollution.
The odors which emanate from materials such as animal waste may be either ammoniacal in character or also be putrefactive in nature as a result of enzymatic decomposition of the organic matter which is present. Both forms of odors must be effectively controlled in order to generally control the odor pollution problem in industry, particularly with the agriculture industries which produce a large amount of animal waste material in the raising of animals and care therefore. As previously noted, various chemical treatments as have been proposed by the prior art have generally not been entirely effective in quickly eliminating the odors as well as for an extended period of time. However, other various means of treating the animal wastes to reduce odor pollution. besides chemical means, such as submersion under water, ventilation techniques, and also frequent removal of the wastes has not only been less than successful, but has been difficult to implement as a program in large animal feeding operations such as cattle feedlots or poultry operations which may produce extremely large quantities of animal waste. For example, a cattle feedlot may have a population of from 2,000 to as much as 100,000 head during a peak season. The cattle are retained in the feedlot for about 5 months; during this period of time, the average size animal may produce as much as 26 pounds of waste per day. Accordingly, mechanical treatment or periodic removal of such quantities of waste is a formidable task. Therefore, chemical treatment of the waste material as it lies on the ground is preferable to reduce odors until the waste material can be conveniently and economically removed. Thus, the longer the period of time odor abatement results by chemical treatment, the more advantageous it is from the standpoint of economy since it is necessary to dispose of the waste material at only periodic intervals.
The present invention, therefore, has been found to be an effective means of controlling noxious odors in general, and specifically those as are encountered in agriculture and with the raising of animals in feedlots, poultry operations or in and around farms, although the composition is also useful in the removal of odors from air recirculation systems or similar odor removal problems.